Including 'invisible disabilities' in Stats Canada survey important, said resource centre
Victoria NewsDec 07, 2018
It's been five years since the last time
"I think that gives a better representation of persons with disabilities,"
On
"What struck me was the number of people with disabilities increased so much. Particularly three areas — seeing, developmental and mental health — almost doubled in five years, which was interesting," Cox said.
She added that the difference in numbers could be that more people responded to the survey, especially since participants could fill it out online, which she said would have helped people who are blind or partially sighted.
At the
In the results of the survey,
Cox said the inclusion of episodic disabilities in the survey is also important since many people who are only affected by a disability at certain times don't always identify as having a disability.
"There has been an increase in acceptance, but I think there's always going to be a really tough road for people with invisible disabilities, especially mental health disabilities, because they're so grossly misunderstood. There's always going to be a stigma around that," she said.